This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of fibrous webs, such as, for example, paper and the like.
In manufacturing fibrous web products it is known to form individual webs from dry wood fibers, and thereafter to join the webs as plies of a multi-ply product to improve its strength and impart desirable bulk thereto.
The manufacture of webs of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,635 to Kroyer. It has been found desirable to enhance the strength of an air-laid web of loose fibers formed according to teachings of this patent to facilitate its rapid, continued transfer from a web forming station and wire to an embossing press and latex addition station, in the manufacture of multi-ply structure.
The following U.S. Patents are respresentative of prior art believed material to the examination of this application:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 discloses a nonwoven fabric, and method of producing same, comprising a matrix of thermoplastic polymer microfibers and wood pulp fibers disposed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,599 discloses an extruder for directing microfibers into a stream of staple fibers to form a web.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,605 discloses an extruder for forming and directing filaments through a guide onto a screen to form a web.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,919 discloses glass insulation filaments extruded, attenuated, and grouped into crimped bulking fibers which are mixed with other micro-fibers to form a web.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,149 discloses long, discontinuous filaments fed in a common stream with other fibers onto a belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,242 discloses extrusion nozzles that emit fiber strands that are attenuated and broken by air streams containing yarn fibers.
It is a general objective of this invention to provide improvements in the manufacture of air laid fiber webs.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide improved apparatus for manufacturing air laid fiber webs of enhanced strength.
It is another objective of the invention to provide an improved method for forming air laid fiber webs of enhanced strength.
It is a still further objective to provide an apparatus and process for improving the strength of air laid fiber webs to facilitate handling thereof in the formation of multi-ply fibrous sheet structure.